New Email Available for ETC's to Submit Their Lifeline and Link Up Information for Posting to USAC's Consumer Information Site

Eligible telecommunications carriers may now submit information about their Lifeline and Link Up programs to be posted on USAC's Consumer Information site via email. This feature is available to carriers that wish to make available to their customers and prospective customers specific Lifeline and Link-Up information by state.

What is USAC's Low Income Consumer Information site?
USAC's Low Income Consumer Information website allows individuals to look up the eligibility criteria they must meet to qualify for Lifeline and Link Up support within their state. Consumers are also able to determine the amount of discount off their monthly local telephone bill they can receive if they qualify for Lifeline support. The website provides telephone company contact information; this information is essential because eligible consumers must sign up for Lifeline and Link Up benefits through their local telephone company.

Who Can Participate?
All ETCs are invited to provide information about their Lifeline & Link Up programs that is targeted to their customers and prospective customers. The submission of information is strictly voluntary. Carriers that currently have information listed on the website are welcomed to submit changes at any time. In particular, carriers that have had an increase in their Subscriber Line Charge and carriers which serve states in which eligibility criteria is based on the National Poverty Guidelines may wish to update their information to reflect recent changes.

How can I submit Information?
New carriers and carriers that would like to update their current information may do so by downloading a "Sample Worksheet" from our websites www.universalservice.org/li/lls or www.lifelinesupport.org. Once the worksheet is completed, it can be emailed as a Word attachment to telcolifeline@universalservice.org. A separate worksheet should be submitted for each individual state in which the carrier provides Lifeline and Link Up service. As an alternative to using the sample worksheet, carriers may also use the format of the website as a template for submitting information; the same submission guidelines apply. You will be notified once the information has been posted on the website.

We hope you will take advantage of this opportunity to use the USAC website to describe your company's Lifeline and Link Up programs. If you have any questions, please contact telcolifeline@universalservice.org.

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USAC Adds Resource for Consumers Seeking Information on Lifeline and Link Up Support

Consumers seeking information about how to obtain the benefits of the low income support mechanisms Lifeline and Link Up can now use USAC's website as a reference. As of May 28, 2002, the information listed on the website www.lifelinesupport.org can be accessed through USAC's website by clicking on the heading "Consumer Information" on USAC's Low Income web page. USAC is in the process of transferring the information on the lifelinesupport.org website to the USAC's Low Income Consumer Information site; soon, users who access that website will be redirected to the USAC website.

Although Lifeline and Link Up are federal support mechanisms, the Federal Communications Commission's rules permit states to establish their own eligibility criteria if they supplement the federal support available to low income consumers with intrastate funds. In addition, the discount amounts available to eligible low income consumers vary by telecommunications carrier. Accordingly, a consumer must have access to information on a state-by-state and carrier-by-carrier basis in order to determine the specific criteria and support amounts available based on where the individual lives and which telecommunications carriers provide service in that area.

USAC's Low Income Consumer Information website will allow individuals to look up the eligibility criteria they must meet to qualify for Lifeline and Link Up support within their state. Consumers will also be able to determine the amount of discount off their monthly local telephone bill they can receive if they qualify for Lifeline support. The website will also provide telephone company contact information; this information is essential because eligible consumers must sign up for Lifeline and Link Up benefits through their local telephone company.

USAC will be expanding its Low Income Consumer Information site over the next several months to provide even more information in a user-friendly format. We will be inviting telecommunications carriers that are not currently listed on the site to provide the information their subscribers need to know about Lifeline and Link Up. Carriers that wish to submit information about Lifeline and Link Up to be posted on the USAC Low Income Consumer Information site may contact telcolifeline@universalservice.org to receive more information.

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USAC Files Comments in the Universal Service Joint Board Low Income Proceeding

On December 28, 2001, USAC submitted comments in response to a Public Notice released by the Federal-State Joint Board on Universal Service (Joint Board) on October 12, 2001. The Joint Board sought comment on issues related to its review of Lifeline and Link Up, such as the effectiveness of the existing FCC rules, potential modifications of those rules, and outreach. The Joint Board will use the information it gathers as it reviews the Lifeline and Link Up support mechanisms and prepares a recommendation to present to the FCC.

In an effort to evaluate the scope of carrier advertising and to target outreach efforts, USAC undertook a review of statewide levels of participation in Lifeline. USAC's comments include the results of its data collection and a discussion of anecdotal observations related to that data collection. USAC's comments are contained in one document, and the three appendices to the comments are contained in separate documents.

Read Comments of the Universal Service Company [,78kb ]

• View Attachment 1 [, 86kb ]
• View Attachment 2 [, 51kb ]
• View Attachment 3 [, 27kb ]

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